Seeing addiction for what it is

Friday

Apr 4, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Joe Avellone and Steve Tolman

Today we face a serious health care epidemic spurred on from the rapid rise of addiction to powerful narcotics that are easily obtainable and highly addictive. This social and health emergency begins from the medicine itself in a cycle that we have once seen. Heroin itself was legally sold on the market briefly in the early 1900s as a cough suppressant until it was outlawed as addiction became widespread.

We have recreated this tragedy with oral narcotics 100 years later. And, it may get worse with the recent approval of an even more powerful narcotic, Zohydro. The abuse of these prescription drugs has skyrocketed since 1999 and has precipitated a crisis of opiate and heroin addiction among young people throughout our commonwealth.

Consider these statistics from national survey data on Massachusetts: 9.6 percent of our citizens age 12 and older were either dependent on or abused drugs or alcohol. That figure rises to 23.4 percent among 18- to 25-year-olds.

We know that hundreds have died from heroin overdose deaths in Massachusetts since November. We are only at the beginning. Massachusetts has often been a leader in treating addiction problems in the past, but we are overwhelmed with the rapid rise and huge scale of this epidemic. And, there is a reason why: We are failing to treat this crisis with the resources it needs. Worse, we are still not seeing this tragic epidemic for what it truly is. Addiction is a public health issue, but still carries the stigma of many of our outdated prejudices.

Too many still view addiction as a character flaw, moral failing, or a failure that stems from poor parenting or poor values. These attitudes die hard, and exhibit themselves in subtle but obstructive ways. Addiction is a health issue and should be treated with the same sensitivity and understanding as diabetes, heart disease or cancer.

Our "old way" of thinking about addiction actually prevents us from radically changing our approach to prevent further destruction. The ripple effect is clear when families struggle to find treatment centers for their loved ones or when youths with minor, nonviolent drug offenses fill county jails. Not unrelated, we do not have enough beds in our treatment facilities of all types across the commonwealth.

It doesn't help that current medical practice is inconsistent regarding replacement drug therapy versus full rehabilitation, often leading to confusion and ineffective treatment. Insurance coverage presents too many barriers to proper rehabilitation and often interferes with the much needed continuity of treatment, sending our young ones back into a cycle of using and addiction.

Physicians need to have widespread re-education on pain control and proper use of narcotics. Let's ramp up our efforts to educate our students and encourage discussion in our communities on the dangers of prescription drugs and heroin. We need political leaders who will aggressively push the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry to develop and approve safer drugs that are much less addictive. Let's say no to the FDA on Zohydro.

Changing our approach virtually pays for itself. Most important, it can save the lives of so many of our fellow citizens. We need a call to arms. Strong leadership from our political leaders is necessary to lead us to this new understanding, and away from the old attitudes which are holding us back. When we recognize this tragic disease for what it is — a preventable health problem — we will be able to put the pieces together to truly change the world for tens of thousands of families in our commonwealth.

Joe Avellone, M.D., is a Democratic candidate for governor. Steve Tolman is president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

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